


Puzzling Love

by MmbBlossom14



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Best Friends, Developing Relationship, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Games, Love, M/M, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-31
Updated: 2019-05-31
Packaged: 2020-04-05 05:56:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19042501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MmbBlossom14/pseuds/MmbBlossom14
Summary: Two challenging minds. Multiple rooms to take. Both adore a challenge. What they don't realise their in a race against each other to beat one another. Two passing faces. What happens when two challenging minds come together by family and friends who love to mingle.





	Puzzling Love

Jughead Jones the puzzle master of southside high adores Pops escapes room. He's in them every week. He loves the challenge. His friends practically begs them to go else where for their Saturday antics. Each week, a different room a new record time. He could practically do them with his eyes shut if he wanted to.

A birthday gift form her best friends Veronica Lodge and Kevin Keller. Betty thought they couldn't find a perfect gift that screamed her. When coming in to the game he only mental state was beat the record time.

Beat the record time she did. She practically thrashed it. Betty Cooper came out that room with a glorious smile on her face. New record time.

"Congratulations the new record time of 5 minutes. You halfed the time before." Pops said smiling.

"What can I say Pops." She smiled. 

"See you next time Betty." 

"You will sir." She waved him a goodbye before heading home for take out. 

Just as Betty walked out of the shop she passed a tall dark and handsome teen their age. God he was good looking. She hasn't seen him around before. Maybe he's just passing on a road trip. They get a lot of those in Riverdale. 

Jughead Jones passed a girl, she looked about their age. A honest blonde beauty, no goddess. She looked like she belonged in one of those crime noir films he adores so much. 

Jughead shook that feeling away out his head. He had a mission and he was about to mash it. Jughead strides up to the desk of the man that is like a father to him. Technically Pops wasn't but Jughead lives with him. He found out about his situation and wasn't having it. 

Jughead dad was the sherif and we'd lost him to a cruel fire the ghoulies had done to avenge their leader. Jughead didn't know who is mother was. She fled after his birth. It was always his father and him getting by. 

At first it wasn't always like this is Dad the sherif. He was the southside serpent leader, gone to jail and now he's the one that was putting them away. A nasty revengouns took his father away from him. Pop being the man he was took him in so he didn't have to go through the system of going from home to home. Care home to the next one they throw him in. Jughead was forever thankful to that man. He would take a bullet for him. 

"Hey Jug." Pops smiled. 

"Hey Pops." 

"You here with the boys?" He asked.

"Of course. They're just lagging behind. Got taught talking to the group that left." 

"So you'd know they just halfed your score." He teased. 

"They what!" He asked in disbelief. 

"Look up at the leader board. It was the crime noir room." Pops said. 

Jughead looked up at the board. Crime noir~BVK-5 minutes. 

"That's impossible. I have the fastest time in all the rooms." 

"Well they did it faster and did 3 rooms." Pops said. 

"This won't do! No way I'm dragging them in and beating their time." Jughead said. 

Jughead shouted the boys in. There was no way in hell that he's letting that cute girl he just saw beat his score. The boys jogged up to him with giant smiles on their faces.

" We just snagged some phone numbers. "Pea said smugly.

"The blondes?" He questioned.

"No I got the other girls number and Fangs got the guys. Its like their the only two gays in town." He teased.

"I'm not complaining, he's good looking." Fangs smiled.

"Move your ass inside the both of you. We have to beat a time of 5 minutes. We will repeat it until we half that time." Jughead said.

Both the boys looked at each other than back at Jughead. He's gone insane. They knew he's insanely competitive but fuck. This was too far. They knew that this wouldn't go away until he did just that. They both relentlessly move themselves inside to Pops Escapes room. 

In less then five minutes the boys were coming out. He scrated a minute of the time that just became. Jughead came out with a smug smirk on his face. He high dived his boys and headed to the diner that pop owend above it. 

The following week Betty was there again. She loved it so much the first time. She couldn't realise it took her so long to go there. As the first time she went there the score was not hers. That pissed her off. She shredded two minutes of that time. Now it's at 4 minutes. Betty was on the war path and ready to half that score again. 

"Are you serious V? Who ever this serpent trio is can go fuck off. How do they do it?" 

"B calm down. Pea said its akk his friend doing. Exactly like you." 

"I don't care V! He's taken the highest rank. After this call I'm ringing you in 10 minutes." Betty rambled before she ended the phone. 

Betty signed in and smiled at pops. She went into the same room as she did last week. She found the first 5 clues in a minute. The second 5 clues a minute later. As the clock turned to two minutes she was already walking out the door. 

"Bye pops." She smiled gleefully as she pulled her phone out to call Veronica. "So?" Veronica asked. 

"Thrashed it! 2 minutes." 

"That's our girl!" Kevin cheered into the phone. "Now meet us at V's place."

"Already on my way." Betty smiled.

Weeks after week it was an endless cycle of them doing this. Beating and destroying each other times. If we're being honest here it's gone on for 6 months. Pops would see the frustration on their faces. 

The two couples have been messaging back and forth. They were all getting incredibly annoyed. Veronica and Pea had a plan to sort this out. They were scheming to have a new escape room. Pops was fully on board. They'll put them in the same room and they have to work together to get out. 

Pops had planned circus themed escape. He knew Betty was scared of clowns so it gave Jughead motive to help her. It was the prefect plan. Veronica planned on bringing Betty five minutes later when Jughead arrived. 

Just on cue Jughead had arrived and Pea and Fangs made up an excuse they had to go to the toilet. As they left they messaged Veronica and Kevin. In passing they signed Betty in and made their way to room. Betty stormed ahead in excitement, that made perfect excuses to linger behind. Once they heared the door shut they ran out locking the door. 

"Ronnie, Pea so it's done?" Pops asked. 

"Yep. Now we can go enjoy our date." Veronica smiled. 

"Us too." Fangs said smiling at Kevin.

"You guys go upstairs and enjoy your dates. I'll pop up and check on workers and my regulars. But at the minute I'm more interested in these two." He teased. 

"Aren't we all." 

Betty turned behind to find her friends gone. Betty ran back to find that door lock too. Betty huffed as she continued to walk to the escape room. As she opened the escape room door she was utterly shocked to see the guy she's been secretly competing with. 

"Excuse me I think you have the wrong room." Betty said. 

"No I think you do Blonde." 

"Excuse you. I'm Betty Cooper." 

"Jughead Jones." 

Betty looked around the room and instantly cringe. She hated the circus and this is the room her friends chose. She knew she'd be stuck in this room until they work as a team. 

"For fuck sake." She muttered. 

"The Princess cusses." He teased. 

"Don't! We're in this stupid circus escape room and I hate the circus I have a phobia. So hurry up and help me get out this room." 

Jughead took one look at Betty and she was nervously shaking. This phobia must be big. 

"Fine." 

Betty started to look everywhere for the first clue and so did Jughead. They knew they should work together but they didn't at least not yet. Betty pulled open a wardrobe as a clown jumped out at her. 

Betty screamed and fell to the floor. Betty began to breath historically. She had the next clue in her hand. It was measurement. Jughead came up to her and helped her up.

"Are you okay Betts?" 

"S-so-sorry. I just hate clowns. I had a bad experience with dicks in my class." 

"What happened?" He asked.

"Shouldn't we be getting on?" 

"Yes but we can talk and look. You and I both know we'll get this done so fast if my assumptions are right. You're B from BKV." Jughead said. 

"I am." She smiled faintly. 

"Figured." He teased. "So measurements?" He asked. 

"You eat candy floss at the circus. We need to weigh the sugar to unlock the key." Betty said. 

Jughead just smiled at her as he headed over to the weighing scales and weighed the exact measurements out. Unlocking a small draw with the next clue. 

"Smart." Jughead smiled faintly.

"Maybe a little."

"So what happened with the dicks in your class?" Jughead asked.

"I was 14 years old. It was a few days before Halloween. I was walking home from dance from the southside and there was two guys in clown masks following me and standing around in them. They ran and pushed me over making me sprain my ankle." She explained.

"That's horrible." Jughead said.

"Yeah well that's the guys in my year group." She shrugged.

"You deserve some decent company."

"You mean like you?" Betty giggled as she put on the jacket from the last clue. Jughead began to pat her down to find the next clue. "Maybe a little bit." He smiled as he glanced down towards her lips.

"Well you're not so bad, considering that we've been secretly in a competition for the past 6 months."

"Well I've enjoyed it." He teased as he moved her hair out the way as he brought the fourth clue out the hidden pocket. "Yeah? It was thrilling." Betty smiled.

"Just a tad."

"Just a tad?" She teased as Jughead held onto the jacket. "Yes now come on we have to search for the last clue or the key."

"Fine." She pouted.

"So pouty."

"Nope." She pouted again.

"Definitely." He leaned down as he glanced at her lips again. "This was fun." Betty smiled looking at his lips too.

Betty took the clue out his hands.

~What flys high in the sky with dazzling colours.~

"The acrobates. That's the only decent thing at the circus." Betty smiled as she pointed to the hoola hoop acrobatic pice of equipment. "Can you pick me up?" She asked.

"Is this going to be awkward?"

"Just a tad." She mimicked his words.

"Let's do this then."

Jughead picked her up as Betty giggled as she wasn't fully expecting it. She thought he would give her a piggy back. Betty found the the last clue. It was the letter alphabet and the world clown.

"Wait these 26 letters in the alphabet. C is the third so we put 3 in for the first number in the safe. L is the seventeenth so we out 17 and so on." Jughead offered.

"Smart." Betty teased as he slowly lowered her down. "Maybe a little." He laughed softly making sure she was on the ground safe.

Betty stumbled over her own two feet. She grabbed his waist to stable himself. "Miss Clumsy." He teased.

"That's why I quit ballet." She giggled. 

"Why doesn't that suprise me." 

"Hey!" She pouted. 

"Stop pouting." 

"What I'm not!"She pouted again. 

"Yes you are. You are putting your perfect lips together and when I saw you six months ago I wanted to kiss you so badly because you look like the perfect crime noir blonde." He sighed. 

"Perfect lips, perfect crime noir blonde?" 

"Maybe." He blushed. 

"Perfect." She teased as she leaned in and pressed a sweet kiss to his lips. "Was that worth the wait?" She asked. 

"Definitely." He smiled tilting her head to deepen the kiss. Betty blushed kissing him as she pulled away. "We have to get out."Betty bit her lip before pulling away.

Betty turned around and to start entering the numbers in as Jughead placed his hands on her waist." Juggie. "She whispered." What? I'm helping. "He shrugged.

"Sure." She giggled as she entered the last number. As she entered the last number the safe opened up to the key. "Wella." She smiled as she dangled the key in front of his face.

"I think I found the perfect girl."He whispered as she began to unlock the door. Betty walked out with a smug walk." These that word perfect again. "She teased as she walked out. 

Jughead ran up and caught up to her as they walked out together. They saw their friends wearing this big smirk plastered across their faces. 

"One, we're not speaking to you right now. Two, you know I have a phobia of circuses and three you four have grovelling to do."Betty said as she walked away as she looked at Jughead." Coming? "

"Yeah. " 

Jughead just scowled at his friends as he caught up with her. Everyone was stood there as they went with Pops to watch the CCTV footage of them. They saw everything even the kiss. 

Betty and Jughead headed upstairs to Pops diner to grab some chilli fries and shakes. They shared the chilli fires as they got to know each other better. 

"So this is a date?" Betty asked. 

"Is it really though?" Jughead teased. 

"We're sharing food and we did an activity." 

"Fair play."He smiled. 

"So is it a date?" 

"No but we I would love to make one with you." 

"Perfect. So next week same place, same time?" She offered.

"It's a date." Jughead smiled as he leaned over and her. "It's a date." Betty repeated. 

Betty and Jughead just sat there talking the whole night long talking about what room they should tackle next as Pops sat from the side lines watching a young love unfold just like his pops did for him in the very same diner and escape room. Love is a puzzle and what's the best thing than watching someone start to solve this little thing called love.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading Puzzling Love.
> 
> I would love to know what you think. 
> 
> Comments and kudos always appreciated;don't be a silent reader. 
> 
> You can find me@hbiccjblog on tumblr and @fangirl_writer_x on ig


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